Eliron immediately turned the carriage around, the wood groaning at his sudden manoeuvre.
The horse neighed, hooves stomping the floor as it accelerated, moving back to the camp.
The trees flew past him like a blur, each second fraught with an unimaginable amount of tension.
Normally, Eliron would have not been bothered too much, but Yennefer had been working on her magic all day after getting exhausted from helping him.
Her mana was no doubt dangerously low and even if it was full, she had no offensive magic.
Eliron gritted his teeth, hoping in his mind that she was still alive, while his mind thought up the most gruesome things possible.
He flung the reins even with more vigour, the horse reacting with a jerk and a lunge.
The cart wheel bounced against a tree branch, leaving the ground for a few seconds, before bouncing hard, the wood and the back spilling over.
Then finally, they broke into the clearing, Eliron's and eyes searching desperately for Yennefer.
And then he saw her, hanging on a tree, her eyes wide with fear as she stared down.
Below her were five monsters Eliron recognized immediately.
Pulse Jaguars...
They had skin as black as obsidian, and white patterns dotting their bodies as though they hid a constellation in their fur.
They were three times larger than regular Jaguars, and several times more ferocious.
But that was not the worst part.
The largest Jaguar, most likely the leader, opened its maw, its eyes locked on Yennefer and then it roared.
Lighting pulsed out of its spots, circling its body until it made its way to his mouth.
And then with a deafening roar, the jaguar launched a lightning bolt, right at the branch Yennefer was hanging on.
'These monsters can use magic!'
The large branch snapped like a twig and fell, bringing Yennefer along with it.
And worse of all, she seemed to be too exhausted to fly, because she just fell, a scream caught in her throat as she plummeted right at their hungry maws.
She was a few inches away from them, drool drifting through their razor sharp canines as they waited patiently for their meal.
And then one of the jaguars lunged at her, its paws raised to grab her and Yennefer closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.
But just before it's finger to latch on—
Swish!
Like a phantom, Eliron appeared, leaving a crimson haze in his wake as he severed the jaguar's front limbs, his saber dripping blood.
[SSS-Rank Swordmanship Skill]
Yennefer opened her eyes to realise that she was in Eliorn's arms. A wry smile appeared on her face.
"E-Eliron…"
Eliron was staring at the jaguars as they slowly walked towards him, their guttural growls representative of their unhinged rage.
He had denied them a meal, and now he had to pay with his own flesh.
Eliron smirked. "An angel that can't fly, what are you? A chicken?"
The fond gaze she looked at him with suddenly vanished, replaced with one of rage. "Hey, I'm only like this because I'm working so hard!" She huffed.
Eliron smiled and placed her on the floor next to a tree, then stood up, swinging the blood off his blade.
"Finally, you're acting like yourself." He said as he took a step forward.
Yennefer's eyes widened slightly. 'Did he say that just to make me feel better?'
She sat there, staring at Eliron's back as he stood before the Jaguars.
Five days ago when they had gotten to this world, he had been weak, but he still had that fire he brought back from earth burning in him.
But now, just a few days of workout, and the body tampering ichor had transformed him.
Now his muscles were far more defined, and he could finally wield his saber efficiently.
And now, he was standing in front of her, confidence exuding out of him in every step.
"Be careful!" Yennefer screamed as she clutched the hem of her clothing.
Eliron waved his sword, his eyes still locked on the monsters.
…
There were five monsters in front of Eliron, the first was disabled, meaning there were practically four, but that didn't help his situation much.
'I'm fucking exhausted!'
His arms felt like jelly, and his mana was already not at the maximum, and yet, he was to fight these jaguars?!
'Well shit…'
He couldn't back down now, or Yennefer would mock him for months.
Eliron lifted his blade, blood dripping from the tip as he pointed it at the jaguars. "I guess we're really doing this then. Now come at me you pu**ies."
"I've been waiting to test my strength after all!"
RAWRRRR!
The first jaguar came with an infernal roar, lightning consuming its feet as it pounced, claws extended.
Eliron took a deep breath, all his senses firing at maximum capacity.
He could feel the sting of his body, he could hear the vibrations from the roar, and feel the wind shift slightly as it approached.
And then it lunged.
He swerved to the side, avoiding the claw, the cut down right at its center, his saber digging deep into his side.
Before he could finish it another jaguar lunged, claws swinging with unhinged violence.
Eliron blocked the first claw swipe with the hilt of his blade, slamming the pommels into its skull.
Then he leaned back as another jaguar lunged, flying right over his head.
Before it could completely go over him, he grabbed a foot and severed it in a flash.
Then he pulled his arm back and flung it right at the alphas face, blood splattering on impact.
Snap!
One jaguar locked its jaws where Eliron's neck had once been, but he was already at its side.
Bang!
His fist dug into its gut, causing the jaguar's eyes to widen. Then his knee exploded against its balls next, eliciting a whimper.
Multiple blows flew, each one aimed at vital spots, just before a final strike split the skull in two, brain matter spewing into the air.
"Heh, who would have thought you jaguars would be this weak?" Eliron said, as he slowly turned to the rest.
One of the jaguars was missing its two front limbs, another was missing its hind limb and probably had a fractured skull, while another one had a nasty wound on its side, bleeding profusely.
Bathed in blood, Eliron smiled as he took a step forward. The jaguars whimpered as they crawled back, trying to retreat.
But a growl from the leader froze them in place.
The large jaguar stared at Eliron for a few seconds, then it took a step back, lightning pulsing around its body.
Following suit, the other jaguars took positions around it, their lightning merging together to form something calamitous.
The air buzzed with static, white lighting drifting through the wind and burning the trees.
'This isn't good…'
Eliron could have dodged it, but Yennefer was behind him, he had to protect her at all costs.
That was what the jaguars were banking on.
'Cunning fools.'
TZZZZZ—BANG!
"Eliron!" Yennefer's panicked voice reached him.
The lighting came like a compressed coil, tearing through the space in a fraction a second, and exploding right into Eliron.
The forest shook, the trees rattling like sticks as a gale of wind cut through the space from the sheer intensity of the attack.
Then dust shrouded them like a thick fog, blanketing the area.
The jaguars howled in victory, relief flooding their bodies knowing the monster elf was dead.
Their meat would too cooked, but it was better than being dead—
But just as they were about to relax, suddenly a blue-black distortion in space appeared right above them.
And out of it came compressed lighting.
TZZZZZ—TZZZZ—BOOOOOOM!
Their own lighting came from the sky like a morbid judgement, consuming them in a violent flash.
When the dust cleared, Eliron could be seen, standing unharmed, a blue black glassy mass swirling in front of him.
[SSS-Ranked Skill, Spatial Distortion]